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DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been tested for skin allergies twice in the past 30-plus years. I am a 71-year-old female in good health. One of the things I tested positive for both times was neomycin (the worst reaction I had was a rash on my foot when using a cream containing neomycin). This is an ingredient in the shingles shot. I've been told by my doctor and the pharmacist that I cannot have the shingles shot. What would happen if I did get the shot? Is it worse than getting the shingles? Are they working on a shingles ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old, retired, white male with no major health history, who is not overweight, diabetic or a smoker. All my bloodwork and my blood pressure are within range for my age. I have had a very healthy diet for a long time, lead a sedentary lifestyle and have some family history of heart-related issues, primary being my mother's heart-attack death at 64. However, she had numerous major health events throughout her life and was a heavy smoker with a poor diet, etc. I have had some recent mild symptoms: occasional shortness of breath and ...

On Sept. 1, 1864, Union forces under Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, victorious at Jonesborough, burned Atlanta and began the March to the Sea where Sherman's troops looted and pillaged farms and towns all along the 300-mile road to Savannah.

Dear Didi: I wish I could crawl into my dog's head and see what she is thinking. Do you have a book that you would recommend that speaks to the intelligence of dogs or the lack thereof? Sometimes my dog just seems oblivious. I point at things and he stares at my pointer finger. Do we give them more credit than they are due? Or are they seriously underestimated? -curious dog parent

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I have read all sorts of pamphlets and brochures; I have been to classes at the local hospital to learn about managing this disease; I have seen the vast array of supplies for testing blood sugar at my local pharmacy. I have come away with a theory on which I would like to hear your opinion.

TV comedy cannot be too harsh when directed at President Donald Trump. There are no limits, and CBS "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert has proven it. Under the rubric of corporate loyalty after the president cut an interview short with CBS "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson and mocked his show as "Deface the Nation," Colbert called the president a "prick-tator," and then suggested the only thing the president's mouth is good for is being a holster for the sexual organ of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

DEAR DR. ROACH: After years and years of excessive nasal congestion and postnasal drip that frequently affected my speech, I was diagnosed with a pseudomonas infection in my sinuses. I've had a balloon sinuplasty and two rounds of Cipro. My symptoms briefly improved after each treatment, but soon reverted to their prior condition. My ear, nose and throat doctor has advised that I have three options: live with it, get intravenous antibiotics or have surgery. None of these is appealing to me. I would like your opinion. -- P.G.

Washington is buzzing with talk of Watergate. In a town nostalgic for the days when reporters didn't run in packs and Republicans and Democrats would raise a pint together, many cannot resist the temptation to compare President Donald Trump's abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey to President Richard Nixon's 1973 Saturday Night Massacre, when a besieged executive fired his special prosecutor and his attorney general and deputy attorney general resigned in protest.

I was about to get into it with my son about President Donald Trump's suggestion that Andrew Jackson, a slave owner who died in 1845, could have avoided the Civil War (as if there were a compromise to be had on the question of expanding slavery into the territories), when he quickly dismissed me by pointing out that no one cares.

Dear Didi: I have a 3 year old Doberman Pinscher named Bella. She is the smartest dog I have ever owned. I've never owned a Doberman before so I frequently wonder if it is the breed that is so much smarter or if Bella is just a unique individual specimen. Our kids are super into teaching Bella to search for treats and play hide 'n seek. Are there studies or tests that can be taken to learn about the intelligence of our Bella? -Parent of a Smart Kid in Stockton